ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, September 22, 1996 TAG: 9609200013
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CHRISTINA NUCKOLS STAFF WRITER
YOUNG ADULTS are the least likely to register to vote - and the least likely to turn out to the polls once they are registered. High school government teachers are trying to change that.
Attention Earthlings.
An alien army has taken over your planet and plans to abolish nearly all democratic rights. You may keep three of those listed in the U.S. Constitution's Bill of Rights. The alien leader, Occoral, has given this important decision to the fourth period senior government class at Cave Spring High School.
Government teacher Joe LaRocco, also known as Occoral, wrote 23 possible rights on the chalkboard as his students divided into teams to ponder their choices.
Chris Duff said his team was partial to the protection against cruel and unusual punishment.
"We don't like pain," he explained. "And speech, because we like to talk. And due process of law because ... ah, I don't know."
"Assembly, so we could come together and revolt against the aliens," added Brian Vittur.
Several of his classmates suggested the right to bear arms might further that plan. Others countered that the aliens were probably bulletproof.
In the end, the class decided to keep their freedom of speech, assembly and due process of law.
LaRocco uses aliens - along with Plato, Aristotle, James Madison and Thomas Jefferson - to teach his students about citizenship.
"In 15 years, I've only had a group once to say, `Mr. LaRocco, these rights are so important, we're not willing to give up any of them,''' he said.
One right that isn't included in the list of 23 is the right to vote. That's because voting was so integral to the republican form of government that the Founding Fathers made that right part of the U.S. Constitution itself, although it allowed states to place restrictions on who could participate.
But even if voting were one of the choices, there's a strong possibility the teen-agers would pass over it in favor of other rights. According to statistics from the Census Bureau, only 52.5 percent of U.S. citizens between the ages of 18 and 24 were registered to vote in the 1992 presidential election, compared with more than 67 percent percent of all citizens of voting age. Only 42.8 percent of the youngest age group reported voting that year while overall the turnout was about 60 percent.
Jennifer Kilbane, another student in LaRocco's class, turns 18 in October, but she isn't sure whether she'll vote in November.
"I got my little card in the mail a month ago," she said. "I don't really know enough about either of the candidates to make a real informed choice.... Probably most people my age are not that worried about it. I don't think a lot of people feel they have a responsibility if the decision isn't going to affect them in a major way."
Kilbane said she doesn't feel most issues will affect her at all.
"If I was going to pick one that I was most concerned about, it would probably be Social Security and welfare," she said. "I'm a people person. I feel bad when I see people out on the street, especially if they have children."
Brian Vittur said he does plan to vote when he turns 18, but he agreed that most of his friends won't.
"I don't think they feel they make a difference," he said. "They don't really care."
Times were different when LaRocco was a teen-ager. He was 18 when the 26th Amendment was added to the Bill of Rights in 1971, lowering the voting age from 21 to 18.
"A lot of us got excited, and also there was a draft at that time, so naturally you wanted to have a vote and influence how the war was going."
But LaRocco, who has taught history and government since 1978, isn't alarmed by the Census Bureau statistics. It's natural for young people to vote less often, he said, because many are in college or the military. They may have recently moved and aren't familiar with the process for absentee voting, which requires them to mail in their ballots before Election Day. Also, most have yet to marry, buy a home and settle down. In short, they don't feel they have a stake in government at any level.
"It's not just young people," he said. "I think it's with anybody. If they feel an election is going to have an impact directly, they'll vote."
Peter Lustig, who teaches U.S. history to juniors at Cave Spring, agreed with LaRocco's assessment.
"Young people - high school and college - don't have a sense of responsibility because I think they don't have a sense of belonging to society," he said. "Young people have the belief that society exists for them and they exist for themselves."
Still, Jackie O'Neill, a senior government teacher at William Fleming High School, said many of her students do have an economic stake in the results of elections.
"Lots of young people are working and paying taxes and thinking about their future," she said.
Suzanne Moore, a government teacher at Patrick Henry High School, said her students are more likely to respond to issues than candidates. They feel a civic responsibility to obey laws and recycle, for example, and are eager to debate topics ranging from legalizing drugs to nuclear energy.
"There's disillusionment with individual leaders. They think politicians are just really sleazy," she said. "They find referenda issues much more interesting than candidates."
One reason may be the generation gap between most politicians and young voters. Lustig said his students were surprised to learn Republican Bob Dole is 73 years old.
"They were laughing about it," he said.
Students at Cave Spring High School felt a direct impact from an election because of this spring's school bond referendum. Some 17-year-olds were even able to vote in that referendum because eligibility for primaries and referendums extends to anyone who will be 18 by the next general election.
"It was a big deal with the students here," Lustig said. "Will that transfer to the student body this year? I'm skeptical."
Local high school teachers said students' attitudes toward citizenship aren't based solely on what they learn in class. Perhaps the single most important influence comes from parents. But teachers hope that the lessons about citizenship are sinking in, even if they need a little help from aliens to get the message across.
"I'm not telling them who to vote for, but as a good citizen you should vote and vote intelligently," LaRocco said. "We hope that we produce good citizens. Between the parents and the churches and the schools and civic clubs, I think we do a pretty good job."
LENGTH: Long : 126 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: 1. NHAT MEYER STAFF Teachers say students' attitudesby CNBtoward citizenship aren't based solely on what they learn in class.
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2. & 3. At Cave Spring High School, Joe LaRocco (left) teaches an
Advanced Government class. Senior Brian Wright (below left) jots
down notes during a discussion about the Bill of Rights. color